Shortly after the events of The Legend of Zelda, near Link’s 16th birthday, he notices a strange mark on the back of his left hand, similar to that of the crest of Hyrule. He seeks out Impa, and recognizing the sign, she brings Link to "the door that does not open" in the North Castle. As Impa suspected, the mark opened the door, revealing the original Princess Zelda put to a deep sleep. Impa tells Link the real “Legend of Zelda.” Long ago, a king ruled the land of Hyrule with a son and daughter. When the king died, the Triforce should have passed on to the Prince. However, he could only inherit the Triforce in part, and thus sought the remaining pieces. When he learned that Zelda knew of their location, he questioned her. She refused to answer, and so the prince sent his wizard to question her. When he failed, the wizard became furious and cast a sleeping spell on Princess Zelda. The wizard fell dead, but the Prince was left grieving. The prince moved Zelda to a room in the North Castle and had her placed on a bed, hoping that one day she would awaken and return to life. To ensure this event was never forgotten, the Prince ordered that all females born to the royal family from that point on would be named Zelda.
Impa gives Link a brown chest containing six crystals and an old message, saying that it was passed down from her family for generations while serving the king. She tells Link that they have been set aside for a time where a great king will come forth and allow Hyrule to usher into a golden age. Somehow, Link is able to read it even though he had never seen the ancient markings before. It is written by the same king, who cast a spell on Hyrule to reveal a mark on the perfect person to rescue Zelda when the time has come. It also reads that the restoration of the crystals to the six palaces in Hyrule will disable the "binding force" set up at the entrance to the Great Palace in the Valley of Death, where the Triforce of Courage is kept. Taking the crystals, Link sets out to restore them to their places, defeating powerful guardians and learning magic spells to aid him as he seeks to find the Triforce of Courage and break the enchantment on the sleeping Zelda. Meanwhile, the followers of the fallen Prince of Darkness are still seeking to murder the one who destroyed him; sprinkling Link's blood on Ganon's ashes will make him rise from the dead. With the return of Ganon, the world would face an unprecedented crisis.
The kingdom of Hyrule has since been relocated north of where the original Legend of Zelda took place, primarily due to the land being overrun by monsters. Even so, the current location of Hyrule is in a grim state. Most of the people of Hyrule have died, telling from the massive graveyards all over the area. Monsters roam the overworld, and small towns are few and far between, scattered about Hyrule. They are all hunting for Link.
Ultimately, Link is able to place the six crystals in the palaces, crossing the sea by raft to the Eastern Continent of Hyrule in the process. With the crystals in place, the path to the Great Palace is opened, where Link defeats the great winged beast Thunderbird, and a doppelganger of himself (also known as Dark Link). Link is then given the Triforce of Courage by a small old man within the palace. He returns to Zelda in the North Castle, who awakens and embraces Link.
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At the end of a fierce fight, Link overthrew Ganon, took back the Triforce and rescued Princess Zelda. However, is it all really finished? Many seasons have passed since then.
Hyrule was on the road to ruin. The power that the vile heart of Ganon had left behind was causing chaos and disorder in Hyrule. What's more, even after the fall of Ganon, some of his underlings remained, waiting for Ganon's return. The key to Ganon's return was the blood of Link- the valiant lad who overthrew the King of Evil. Ganon would be revived by sacrificing Link and sprinkling his blood on the ashes of Ganon.
Meanwhile, Link remained in the little kingdom of Hyrule and lent his hand to its restoration, But circumstances did not look very good. One day, a strange mark, exactly like the crest of the kingdom, appeared on the back of Links's hand as he approached his 16th birthday. The worried Link, went to Impa, Princess Zelda's nursemaid who was shocked and frightened when she saw the birthmark. When she regained her composure, she took Link to the North Castle.
There was a door in the North Castle called "the door that does not open." Only the descendants of the Impa family who served the king knew how to open the door. Impa took Link's left hand and pressed the back of it against the door. There was a sound of a lock falling open, the door slowly creaked open and there on an alter in the middle of the room lay a beautiful woman. "Here lies Princess Zelda." Impa began to speak calmly.
"Link, the time has come when I must tell you the legend of Zelda handed down in Hyrule. It is said that long ago, when Hyrule was one country, a great ruler maintained the peace in Hyrule using the Triforce. However, the king too was a child of man and he died. Then the prince of the kingdom should have become king and inherited everything, but he could inherit the Triforce only in part." The Prince searched everywhere for the missing parts, but could not find them." Then, a magician close to the king brought him some unexpected news. Before he died, the king had said something about the Triforce to only the younger sister of the prince, Princess Zelda. The prince immediately questioned the princess, but she wouldn't tell him anything. After the prince, the magician threatened to put the princess into an eternal sleep if she did not talk, but even still, she said nothing."
In his anger, the magician tried to cast a magic spell on the princess. The surprised prince tried to stop him, but the magician fought off the prince and went on chanting the spell. Then, when the spell was finally cast, Princess Zelda fell on that spot and entered a sleep from which she might never awake. At the same time, the magician also fell down and breathed his last." In his grief, the prince placed the princess in this room. He hoped that someday she would come back to life. So that this tragedy would never be forgotten, he ordered that every female child born into the royal household shall be given the name Zelda."
From the stand next to the alter where Princess Zelda lay in a deep sleep, Impa took 6 crystals and a scroll with the same crest and handed them to Link. "For generations, my family has been handed down these things which have been set aside for a time when a great king will come. They are written in an ancient script that no-one can read now, But you who have the crest may be able to read it. It is said that the key to uniting the Triforce is hidden there. Now it is time for you to read it."
Link glanced at the scroll half in doubt, but what do you know? Although he had never seen the letters before, he found that he could read them as if they were talking to him. This was written on the scroll. "You who'll control the Triforce of the future. I shall hand down to you the secrets of the Triforce. There are 3 kinds of Triforce- Power, Wisdom, and Courage. When these 3 are brought together, the Triforce will show its maximum power. Of the 3, I have left Power and Wisdom in the kingdom. But the Triforce Courage I have hidden for a reason. Not everybody can use the Triforce. It requires a strong character with no evil thoughts. But an inborn special quality is also necessary. Unfortunately, I have not found such a person during my lifetime."
Therefore, I have decided to cast a spell on all of Hyrule. A crest will appear on a young man with that character who has been brought up correctly, has gained many kinds of experiences and reached a certain age. But what will happen if someone else uses the Triforce before then? If it is misused, it will produce many evils. The Triforce of Courage is hidden in the Great Palace in the Valley of Death on the largest island in Hyrule. However, to enter there you must first fight the guardians and undo the "binding force." When you have defeated the guardians, which I made to prevent enemies from invading the 6 palaces in Hyrule, set a crystal in the forehead in all of the statues in the 6 palaces, the "binding force" placed on the Valley of Death will be removed and you will be able to enter the great palace. There, you must fight the last guardian. And you can obtain the Triforce only by defeating that guardian. There's nothing to fear. You are the one to get the Triforce. You are the beacon of hope for Hyrule."
Impa implored Link, who raised his head slowly after reading the scroll. "The magic spell cast upon Princess Zelda will surely be broken if the Triforce is used. Please, Link. Unite the Triforce and save the princess. And bring peace to Hyrule." Link nodded silently in approval, and left the room after taking a long glance at the altar. Then with a magical sword in his left hand, and a magical shield in his right, he set off alone on his long travels. At that time, Ganon's underlings were calling up new allies from the Underworld, and were beginning to work devilishly towards the revival of Ganon.